Feature Photo (above): The 2-acre lawn next to East Northwest Highway and The Landon at Lake Highlands age-restricted apartments is slated for development as a nursing home with hospice care and adult day care center. Image: Google Streets.

Posted: 10-8-2019

by Eileen Pace

Dallas (Dallas County) — A senior housing specialist obtained approval from the City Plan Commission to move forward with a two-story building for a nursing home with hospice care and adult day care center within an existing senior living development in Northeast Dallas.

The 8,000-square-foot project will finish out a 13.9-acre Planned Development District that was originally approved as a senior living community by City Council in 2007.

Since that time, The Javelin Group LLC, a developer of senior living facilities and hospitality properties, completed Landon at Lake Highlands, a four-story retirement housing apartment complex at East Northwest Highway and Lullwater Drive near White Rock Lake. In association with David Weekley Homes, Javelin also introduced Villages of Lake Highlands–80 patio homes adjacent to the apartment complex.

Google satellite view of the project site and associated properties.

Alan Naul, the founder of Javelin Group, told commissioners that the senior campus has developed over time to includes trees and outdoor spaces and has become “the finest asset” among senior independent living facilities in the Metroplex.

Naul plans now to bring the same level of quality to the final tract of land in the complex, a small 2-acre empty space that faces Northwest Highway. He plans a convalescent home, which could accommodate 50 residents at full capacity, and an adult day care center. The PDD allows up to 200 beds.

The maximum building height is fixed at 36 feet, and the maximum lot coverage for Lot 2 is 58%, according to the site data table.

Naul said a similar facility he owns in St. Louis, Missouri has demonstrated only a small need for parking, with 99% of day care guests being dropped off and picked up later in the day. He said a circular drive that comes in from Northwest Highway would serve the adult dare care, but some parking would be required on for staff and visitors to the nursing care facility.

He also sought an exception to the one sign rule, asking instead for two signs in front of the building. Texas Department of Transportation right-of-way limits space, so he proposed two monument signs.

“The six-lane highway in front with traffic rushing by presents one of the biggest challenges,” Naul said. “We feel two signs, placed at 45 degrees angles to the highway, would have the greatest visibility from traffic going in both directions. They’re subtle and set back from the road. I’m in favor of limited signage, but the building needs both signs to make it easy for visitors to find.”

Staff initially opposed allowing two signs, but did note that they would be in compliance with the maximum effective area rule of 50 feet each and the height rule of 25 feet. The site plan describes signage with a maximum effective area of 40 square feet.

There was concern from some commissioners about the space needed for a dumpster and electric generator. Naul agreed to amend the site plan to include a space for both, and to have those details memorialized in the site plan before his zoning application goes to City Council.

Given the tight space, Naul emphasized a need for prioritizing parking. The site plan for the project site (Tract 2/Lot 2) specifies 17 spaces.

Concept site plan. Courtesy: The Javelin Group LLC.

“This business depends largely on family visits. We will need every bit of space we have for parking,” he said. “But we’ve met with neighbors in the area and had no complaints. And the patio home development has been very well received by the neighborhood.”

Adolfo Pesquera (Reporter/Editor) is a veteran news journalist. He has worked for Hearst Corp., American Lawyer Media, News Corp and Freedom Communications. His work has been published in newspapers and magazines across the USA. He is a journalism graduate of UT-RGV. He writes, edits and creates digital pages for VBX.